Focus RS Drag Race Suggests Leon Cupra 290 Could Be Obsolete

If you think about it, there has never been an AWD Focus RS before. It couldn't have been easy for Ford to build it, since the regular Focus is never available with all-wheel-drive, unlike the VW Golf. But from what we've heard, the next generation Focus will have this option, which could trickle down to the ST.

That has nothing to do with the SEAT Leon Cupra 290. It remains one of the fastest, best composed front-driven hatchbacks in the world. We still think it's beautifully styled, and the 290 version makes some awesome pops out of the new exhaust.

But if you think about it, a lot of people are going to buy the Focus RS because it's faster than everything for the money. Some will also get it for the Drift Mode, which nobody else has.

In a way, SEAT was going in that direction anyway. What are they going to do for the next one, make it 320 hp with FWD? Probably not, especially when an Ateca performance SUV is rumored to be in the pipeline.

BMW M and AMG are slowly succumbing to powered front wheels, while Audi couldn't live a day without it.

For a while, it seemed like downsizing and hybridization were going to change the hot hatch. But the Peugeot 308 R is nowhere near being approved for production. So if Ford decided there's still time to have fun, why shouldn't SEAT do the same!

So anyway, about the drag race. The Ford does a lot of damage off the line and continues to accelerate hard after that. We expected that, considering it's got a lot more power and a bigger engine. So which one would you pay over €35,000 for?